


Washed Up

by lionessvalenti



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Cats, Fluff, Gen, Thunderstorms
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-31
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-12-14 19:29:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 616
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21021056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lionessvalenti/pseuds/lionessvalenti
Summary: Bucky comes back to the motel with not a mortal wound, but a cat.





	Washed Up

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Meatball42](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meatball42/gifts).

Bucky stumbled into the motel room, the door slamming against the wall in time with a flash of lightning. Water dripped from his hair and coat, a puddle already forming at his feet. He was hunched over, clutching his midsection.

Sam looked up with a start. "Whoa, you okay?"

Kicking the door shut with his foot, Bucky moved toward the nearest bed, wavering on his feet as he did. "Get some towels."

Without a second thought, Sam was on his feet and running into the bathroom. He hadn't seen any blood, but Bucky was clearly unwell. He'd left only ten minutes earlier to pick up dinner. Had he been attacked? Had someone followed him back to the motel?

Sam came back into the main room with his arms full of scratchy motel towels, and stopped dead in his tracks.

Bucky had taken off his coat, leaving it in a wet pile on the floor. He was sitting on the bed, clutching a squirming orange and white kitten. It was soaking wet, giving it a bit of a drowned rat appearance, but it was definitely a cat.

"Thanks," Bucky said, grabbing one of the towels from Sam. Delicately, he wrapped the kitten in the towel. It made a pathetic mewling noise.

"Where did you find that?" Sam asked, the question coming out far harsher than he meant it. He'd been expecting to find some stab wounds and a bloody mess, or at least some bruised ribs. Discovering this was cat related was such a relief it was almost comical. Bucky was such a drama queen.

Bucky didn't seem to notice the tone. He was busy wiping down the kitten. "It was about ten seconds away from getting washed down a storm drain." He looked up with big hopeful eyes, like a kid about to ask if he could keep it. "I'll have to get some supplies."

Oh good, he wasn't bothering with the asking. 

"Our lifestyle isn't exactly cat-friendly," Sam said, trying for a more gentle approach. "Or animal-friendly at all."

"Even just for tonight. Until we can get it to a shelter." Bucky smiled sheepishly. "And I forgot to pick up dinner. All I could think about was getting her here and dry."

Sam sighed and turned to grab his jacket. "This is what those years in Wakanda did. You got all soft. A couple goats and now you're Doctor Doolittle."

Bucky didn't seem to react to the words Sam was saying. "You don't have to go out in the storm, I'll--"

Waving him off, Sam was already halfway to the door. "Stay here with your pussy heroism. I'll get food for us and the cat."

As if knowing it had been mentioned, the kitten mewled again. Sam was more of a dog person, but even he had to admit, the sound was pretty cute.

Bucky smiled. "Thanks, Sam."

"Yeah, yeah," Sam muttered as he stepped out into the rain. He got it. He'd been picking up strays for years. Except his weren't cats in distress, but guys from the 1940s.

By the time Sam returned, the worst of the storm had passed, and the rain had been reduced to a steady shower. There was still a faint rumble of thunder in the distance.

He pushed the door open with his hip, his arms full of pet supplies and some human food, and found Bucky stretched out on his side, eyes open and watching the kitten who had curled up against him, fast asleep.

Sam smiled. All of the reasons why it was a bad idea were still in his mind, but from the look of contentment on Bucky's face, they had just adopted a cat.


End file.
